Dallas' Vince Carter puts up a shot despite the efforts of three Kings defenders including DeMarcus Cousins (15, left) and Ray McCallum (3, second from left) and forward Derrick Williams (13, right) in the second quarter during the Sacramento Kings vs. the Dallas Mavericks NBA basketball game at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX on Saturday, March 29, 2014. (Louis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News), -- MANDATORY CREDIT, NO SALES, MAGS OUT, TV OUT, INTERNET USE BY AP MEMBERS ONLY

You’ve got to hand it to Rick Carlisle for keeping his sense of humor.

He dusted the cobwebs off a long, lost one-liner that remains great to this day after his Mavericks pulled out a much-harder-than-expected 103-100 victory over Sacramento on Saturday night.

He was asked about his team’s execution and stole a quote from 1976 and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach John McKay.

“My team’s execution?” he said. “I’m in favor of it.”

Left to everybody’s imagination was whether he meant their veteran savvy or having them lined up in front of a firing squad.

For the longest time Saturday, it looked like the Mavericks were prime candidates for a mercy killing.

Just when it seemed fair to question whether the Mavericks really and truly want one of those last playoff spots in the Western Conference, Shawn Marion bailed them out. His two gigantic plays saved the Mavericks against the Kings, who long ago gave up hope on the season and were missing one of their best players, point guard Isaiah Thomas and his 20 points per game.

Marion’s offensive rebound, two free throws and a 3-pointer capped a 10-0 run that sparked the Mavericks’ comeback from an 89-84 hole with four minutes to play.

That they were stuck in this sort of predicament supplied all the proof you need to know that they are not firing on all cylinders as the regular season winds down.

Not that they will apologize for the win. At this point, every one of them is huge.

Improving to 4-3 on the eight-game homestand that already rates as a disappointment and mercifully ends Tuesday against Golden State, the Mavericks at least kept pace with Memphis and Phoenix.

Only a half-game separates the three as they battle for the final two playoff spots.

“We’re struggling in some areas,” Carlisle said in a significant understatement.

“What I would tell you 74 games into this — there’s been so much of this that it’s unfortunately part of our DNA. And I just feel like we’re going to snap out of it. And I know we have to. I’m a very positive thinker on this. We’re going to do better on Tuesday.”

The Mavericks essentially had been graced with what should have been the proverbial rest area on a brutally long drive. They could have gassed up their tanks, splashed a little cold water on their faces and got a little revitalized. On paper, the Kings were exactly what the Mavericks needed — a team that hadn’t won in Dallas in 19 consecutive visits.

It became 20 in a row, but not without a struggle. Not until Jose Calderon’s 3-pointer with 3:47 to go did the Mavericks get back within 89-87, and that bucket started the 10-0 run that Marion finished.

It was not supposed to be a difficult game. And it was one the Mavericks simply could not afford to lose unless they wanted everybody in the NBA world to shovel dirt on their playoff hopes.

What happened down the stretch to get the Mavericks’ attention?

“Probably getting our backs up against the wall, again,” Carlisle said. “And we responded, so it was good. It was a good finish. We got a lot of stops at the end, and being in the bonus helped us. But look, it’s not a good way of doing business. It’s tough trying to win that way.”

The Mavericks gave up six offensive rebounds to the Kings in the fourth quarter and were outscored 10-2 on second-chance points and 20-6 in the paint. Those numbers were consistent with how the Mavericks were manhandled the whole game.

And yet, they survived even after surrendering an early 17-point lead.

“We lose leads, that’s what we do,” Dirk Nowitzki said. “[But] we strung together some stops. We got three or four in a row, and that gave us a little lead and that stretch was what we needed to win the game.

“We got something to play for, and at the end of the day, it’s a win. Was it pretty? No. You’re not going to win by 20 or 30 every night.”

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